Claire de Lune
by Ukyou Kuonji
Summary: As the strains of Debussy's music waft through the air, the camera pans throughout Nerima. A relatively WAFF (warm and fuzzy feeling) story


Claire de Lune  
  
a Ranma 1/2 fanfiction   
by Ukyou Kuonji  
Disclaimers, etc. to follow  
  
Six a.m., Sunday morning. Her recital was this afternoon.   
She'd have to practice some more, just to be on the safe side.  
Yuka padded her way from her bedroom to the parlor, where the   
family piano sat. Yes, it was early in the morning, but she   
rarely ever felt guilty about the possibility of waking up   
neighbors. No one had ever complained before. Many of them   
were already up, anyway, practicing their own katas. She also   
remembered jokes about classical music putting people to sleep,   
and always (humorously) decided that it was therefore unlikely   
to wake someone up with it.  
She sat down, and pulled out a sheaf of music: Claire de Lune,   
by Claude Debussy. She set it on the piano's music shelf, and   
started in. As she quietly began to play, dawn started to break   
over Tokyo, and the magic that was the Nerima district, that had   
brought so many strange martial artists to its borders, and so   
much pain and trouble to its inhabitants, now spread the peace   
and tranquillity and the longing of Debussy's music far and wide.  
------  
The sound of rippling water merged with the opening arpeggios.  
Ryoga stared past his smoldering campfire to the lake just beyond   
him. The sun was beginning to peer out from behind the mountains,  
and he could see its broken reflection swirling on the water. He  
turned, and a faint smile crossed his lips as he gazed at his two  
companions, still sleeping. The giant pig, who was lying at some   
distance from the fire, merely snorted and rolled over at the noise.   
The girl lying beside Ryoga's empty bedroll continued her quiet  
sleeping. Ryoga tenderly watched her breathe in and out, as the  
Nerima magic carried the music to his ears. He was a fortunate  
man now, despite his curse, despite his pathological disorientation.  
She may still allow him to get lost now and again, but now that he  
had Akari, he knew he need never again be lost alone.  
------  
Tatewaki Kuno slashed his bokken through a straw dummy that had a  
black pigtail fastened to it. It never ceased to enrage him that  
that swine always defeated him, the Blue Thunder. And now he had   
been vanquished utterly. Akane Tendo -- no, Akane... Saotome (his  
gorge rose at the thought) -- was lost to him. The pigtailed girl,   
too, had not been seen in some time. Ordinarily, it would be enough   
to make him furious, but the music blunted his fury, and rendered   
him only thoroughly depressed. It may not be the habit of the Kuno   
clan to settle for second- or third-best, he thought to himself, but   
perhaps it would be preferable to settling for nothing at all.  
His gaze wandered over to his sister, practicing her own brand of  
martial arts in the yard. So graceful, so beautiful... much as he  
would have been annoyed at having Saotome for a brother-in-law, it  
irritated him further that the wretch would have nothing to do with  
her, despite her obvious charms and talents. What was *wrong* with   
that cretin?  
For her part, Kodachi was still trying to forget the man who saved  
her once and spurned her many times thereafter. She, too, could hear  
the strains from Yuka's piano, and slowly ceased her practicing, as  
she became once again lost in her dreams of a man... any man... to   
call her own.  
A door opened to the yard. Both of the Kuno siblings turned. Their  
father was awake, evidently. Faster than walking, slower than running,  
lest their movements be held in any suspicion, they left the mansion  
grounds: Tatewaki to seek out Nabiki, Kodachi to merely roam the   
streets of Nerima. Principal Kuno was left standing alone in the   
courtyard of the mansion. The maniacal smile he perpetually wore  
faded as the melody washed over him, reminding him of the fear and   
contempt in which everyone held him, and which caused even his own  
children to flee his presence. He sank to his knees onto the patio,   
as Yuka continued to play.  
------  
Dr. Tofu Ono listened to the theme of the piece as he placed a   
single red rose into the thin vase, and placed it in the tray. He   
was going to surprise her this morning with breakfast in bed. She  
had sacrificed so much for so long, taking care of her family, and   
then him. It seemed only fair that he pamper her now and again as  
best he could. He smiled as he picked up the tray, reflecting on the  
lovely strains of music that would rouse his darling Kasumi from   
slumber, so that he might greet her with this small token of his  
affection this morning. He opened the door to their bedroom and   
hoped that his glasses would not fog over as he brought the tray in.   
------  
The music roused Ukyou from sleep, which was just as well. She had  
a business to run, after all, and customers to attend to. She got up,  
dressed, and opened the window. The sound of Yuka's piano wafted in   
louder, and she took in the open sight of her newlywed neighbors   
across the alley. Honestly, didn't these people know anything about   
closing windows? She could see sheets and bedclothes strewn   
throughout their room, and in the middle of the room, for all to   
see, there they were, naked as the day they first sucked air. As a   
matter of fact, they seemed to be locked in the embrace they must   
have started late last night. Ukyou recalled the sound of that, and  
while admitting to herself that the present sounds were preferable,  
the present sight was heartbreaking enough for her. They didn't mean  
to torture her; they were behaving more or less as lovers should. It  
was just that... there but for a quirk of fate, there could have been  
her Ran-chan and herself.  
A tear rolled down the okonomiyaki girl's face, and splashed onto  
her naked toes.  
Downstairs at the Ucchan, a girlish figure crouched behind a potted  
plant. Of course, the place was still closed, but Tsubasa had ways   
of getting into places and things that would otherwise be off-limits  
to him. He, too, could hear the music Yuka was playing, and he   
squeezed his eyes shut and thought of his dear, dear Ukyou-sama.  
The tune floated into the kitchen, where Konatsu lay on his futon.  
He stirred, not quite ready for the day's business, but willing to  
perform whatever task Ukyou-sama had for him that day. The kunoichi  
smiled as he contemplated all that Ukyou-sama had done for him, in   
rescuing him from a dreadful home situation, and taking him under   
her wing as an employee at the Ucchan. He wished he could do and   
be more for her, but he knew he was not yet comfortable trying to   
be the man he felt she wanted and he admitted that she deserved.   
For now, though, he could show how he felt by being the best   
possible employee he could be. She deserved no less from him.   
And so, with the music swirling about him, Konatsu stood up and   
prayed to that powers that be, asking for strength to renew his   
vow to his precious mistress, that she would be pleased with his   
efforts, and maybe, just maybe... with him, too.  
------  
The old man bounced happily from rooftop to rooftop, exulting   
in his evening's collection work. The sack he carried was thrice  
his size, filled to bursting with used female undergarments. He   
paused on a rooftop to examine his treasures. It was at that   
moment that he began to be conscious of the music. All at once,   
everything lost its meaning. The panties only served to remind   
him that he would never have a female willingly again. Happosai   
hurled them off the roof, and trudged away in another direction,   
wondering whether his old flame Cologne ever felt this way  
------  
Happosai and any other lovers she might have had (hard as that   
might be for us to believe, she was young once...) were as far from   
Cologne's mind as it is possible for thoughts to be. Future lovers  
take precedence over past lovers, and she hoped that her great-  
granddaughter would not take her circumstances too badly. She   
peeked into the girl's room, where all last night, she had been   
entertaining the man who had finally defeated her.  
Mousse was awake, and while unaware of his to-be in-law's presence,  
was fully aware of the romantic strains of Debussy's theme. Last  
night had been incredible, and it had nothing to do with the obvious.   
He had defeated his darling Shampoo, and earned the right to become  
her husband. And to think, he had Ranma to thank for it! All the  
duels they had fought had forced him to add moves and weapons and  
tricks to his repertoire, moves that aided him considerably in   
battle with his beloved. Equally incredible was that, despite   
Shampoo's continued attempts to resist his advances, Cologne came  
to his aid in bringing the two of them together. Once he had   
defeated her, Mousse and Shampoo were effectively husband and wife.  
Granted, the strong children to come of this union would be products  
of nurture rather than nature, but Cologne planned to be around for  
that day. For now, however, a strong love potion had brought his  
darling around, at least for last night. Now, as he lay there   
enjoying the music and attempting to wipe an idiotic grin off his  
face, he wondered what would become of the two of them from this  
day forth.  
Shampoo, for her part, was waking up as if from a alcoholic binge.  
She couldn't quite remember what happened last night, but something   
felt... well, different. There was a tingling sensation just below  
her waist. She looked down at herself, and noticed a small bloodstain  
on the sheet. No... it couldn't be, could it? Hardly daring to   
believe the conclusion she was arriving at, she slowly became aware  
of the fact that she was not alone in her bed. She turned to face...  
Mousse? Then all the memories came flooding back, and she was filled  
with regret and loathing. She buried her head in her hands and began  
to sob. Mousse attempted to reach over to comfort her, but Cologne  
quietly waved him away as she hopped to her great-granddaughter's  
side to explain how this way was the right one, after all.  
------  
Soun could hear the tinkling of piano keys as he wept before the   
family shrine. Tears of longing, yes, for his darling Kimiko, gone  
these almost fifteen years. But also tears of joy. It had taken so  
long, but the Tendo legacy would survive. He wished Kimiko could   
have seen their daughters, and how well they had turned out. He had  
no doubts she would have been as proud of them as he was. If only...!  
In the kitchen, Nodoka had begun working on breakfast, as her dear   
Genma looked on. It was so good to be back together, after all this   
time. And the fact the their Ranma was indeed a man among men, well...  
that made their recent reunion all that much sweeter. The music   
flowed into the kitchen and mingled with the sound of vegetables  
sizzling in the wok. Their eyes met, and Genma stood up and strode   
over to his wife. She set the wok aside, understanding his intent.  
Breakfast could wait. It could burn, for all that it mattered.   
There were more important matters to attend to...  
Giggling like teenagers, the elder Saotomes made their way past   
what used to be merely Akane's room. The duck that had for so long   
hung on the doornail had since been replaced with a bit of crepe   
paper left over from the wedding. `Akane and Ranma' it read.  
Inside the room, the music swelled to a crecendo, and Akane,  
cradled in her husband's arms, stirred slightly. She could smell  
the musk that was his distinctive scent, and nestled in closer.  
Her movements woke him, and he looked upon his wife fondly. He   
ruminiated on the past few years together. Why had it taken them   
all this time to realize how much they belonged together? If only   
we'd known how good life could be like this, he thought, we would   
never have resisted so hard. The music continued to weave its   
spell around them. Oh well, we've made it here, and that's all  
that matters, ne? Now, to make it last...  
As the music begin to fade, and he fell back to sleeping with  
his wife, one last thing flashed through his mind:  
I am a lucky man.  
------  
Yuka approached the final arpeggios, and her motions slowed and   
softened as dictated by the piece. With the last few chords, the   
wind outside took the opportunity to whip up the trees in the   
surrounding neighborhood. To Yuka, the rustle of the leaves sounded  
like distant applause; all Nerima was showing its appreciation.  
She stood up, and bowed to the piano as a martial artist might to  
a worthy opponent. Then she walked over to the window and looked out  
at the neighborhood outside. All may not be completely right with   
the world, but maybe things would be a little pleasanter now.  
  
FIN  
  
******  
  
Ranma 1/2 and all its characters are copyright Rumiko Takahashi,   
and are used without permission.  
Inspired by the final scene from the movie "Frankie & Johnny."  
  
Author's notes:  
I actually have seen a lemon anime that uses this song as background  
music during a scene, and I have to agree with its creator; it is  
a wonderful piece for making gentle love with someone.  
On the other hand, listening to a single piano playing this piece  
off in the distance, in my experience, tends to sharpen the feelings  
of loneliness, if you have no one to be with.  
I speak as an aficionado of Debussy, rather than as a musician, by  
the way. Some of you know I can't sing worth a darn, and as for  
any ability with the piano, forget it. But to listen to it, and be  
moved by it... well, that doesn't take talent.  
  
By the way, I realize that I'm showing a scene of unprecedented  
peace and tranquillity in Nerima, and have set up a few pairs that  
may provoke some disagreement. I'm not trying to solve matters, I'm  
just showing a scene, one that really needs a more prevalent air of  
romance and calm than normally exists in Ranma 1/2. Can we assume   
this takes place some time after Volume 38, and Ranma and Akane have   
finally tied the knot as Takahashi-sensei has stated they will?  
  
Until next time...  
  
Itsu mo,  
Ucchan ^_^  
  
  



End file.
